Arizona’s DeAndre Ayton is expected to be among the top picks in the 2018 NBA Draft. On Friday, the 7-1 freshman center from the Bahamas said confidently that he should go No. 1., citing his competitiveness and drive, via USA Today’s Josh Peter: “Nobody has the competitiveness like me, you know what I’m saying?’’ said Ayton. […]

Arizona’s DeAndre Ayton is expected to be among the top picks in the 2018 NBA Draft.

On Friday, the 7-1 freshman center from the Bahamas said confidently that he should go No. 1., citing his competitiveness and drive, via USA Today’s Josh Peter:

“Nobody has the competitiveness like me, you know what I’m saying?’’ said Ayton. “I think I’m different from everybody else. That’s about it. Play hard, I play hard everyday. Got a country on my back that I’m representing.’’

His comments came after a 32-point, 14-rebound performance in a 78-67 overtime victory over UCLA in the semifinals of the Pac-12 tournament.

After reports of corruption within the program surfaced, Shaq’s son Shareef O’Neal announced on Twitter that he is decommitting from Arizona and opening up his recruitment: At this time I’m am opening up my recruitment due to the current events with the UofA Bball team.I would like to thank all the coaches for recruiting me. […]

After reports of corruption within the program surfaced, Shaq’s son Shareef O’Neal announced on Twitter that he is decommitting from Arizona and opening up his recruitment:

At this time I’m am opening up my recruitment due to the current events with the UofA Bball team.I would like to thank all the coaches for recruiting me. At the time my family and I think it’s in my best interest to look at other options to assure my play in the NCAA next year.

Wildcats head coach Sean Miller, who will not be with the team on Saturday when they visit Oregon, was apparently aware of a $100,000 payment to DeAndre Ayton in order to ensure his signing, according to ESPN.

After an ESPN report published Friday revealed Sean Miller was aware of a $100,000 payment to five-star recruit DeAndre Ayton, the Arizona head coach informed his players that he will not be leading the team Saturday at Oregon, per Greg Hansen of the Arizona Daily Star: Sean Miller will not coach Arizona tonight at Oregon. […]

With so much at stake heading into Friday night’s semifinals of the Pac-10 Conference Tournament, drama was expected to be at a premium.

True to form, the subplots were many. However, the most interesting storyline developed well before play even started over at Staples Center.

Approximately an hour before the opening tip between USC and Arizona, news broke that Trojans coach Kevin O’Neill had been suspended by the school for the rest of the conference tournament after getting into an alleged altercation Thursday night.

Save the drama for yo mama, right?

Now, with that bit of information out of the way, we can finally talk about something more worthwhile, all the action that took place on the court instead of the shenanigans that took place off the hardwood. Bottom line, that is what’s most important.

ARIZONA 67, USC 62

*** Without it’s fearless leader, O’Neill, a statement which can be taken both literally and figuratively, the Trojans actually came out and played some inspired ball.

*** Marcus Simmons was in a groove early on. He buried a three-pointer, a jumper and another three-ball to give USC a 15-9 lead with 14:09 left in the first half.

*** Derrick Williams struggled, at times, in the first half. Luckily for the Wildcats, Lamont Jones was able to pick up the slack. He scored five consecutive points to give Arizona a three-point advantage with 9:36 remaining before the break.

*** Williams woke up just in time, right before intermission. He knocked down a jumper and threw down a breakaway dunk to give Arizona a 33-28 lead at the half.

*** There’s been a a Jordin Mayes sighting. He hits back-to-back bombs from beyond the arc. A mid-range jumper follows. Wildcats have a nice little lead, 50-38, at 11:59.

*** Nikola Vucevic scores in bunches for USC. One has to wonder if it’s too little to late. With 12 points in less than 12 minutes, the Trojans rally and trail by a mere three points with :05 left on the clock.

*** Williams ices the game. He steps to the line and calmly knocks down a pair of free-throws to seal the victory for Arizona. After a particularly slow start, Williams finishes up strong with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and six rebounds. Plain and simple, he got the job done.

*** Simmons had 20 points, one of his better games this season, no doubt.

*** Vucevic played well throughout. He ended up with 16 points and 12 rebounds, to go along with five assists and three blocks. Not too shabby, this kid has NBA written all over him.

*** With the loss, the Trojans didn’t do themselves any favors in terms of helping their postseason chances. It will be interesting to see if USC is awarded an at-large berth to the Big Dance.

WASHINGTON 69, OREGON 51

*** Oregon entered this showdown as the prohibitive underdog. Truth be told, the Ducks looked every bit the part. They never had a chance in this one.

*** Terrence Ross makes his presence felt midway through the first half of play. His thunderous one-handed dunk and layup help Washington take a 16-9 lead at the 9:25 mark.

*** Joevan Catron attempts to keep Oregon somewhat close. Actually, there’s plenty to like with regards to the overall skill set that Catron possesses. He works inside and scores to cut the deficit to a basket with 6:16 left before halftime.

*** Washington answers, Scott Suggs in particular. He comes off the bench and scores all eight of his points in the first half to extend the lead to 31-20 at intermission.

*** Justin Holiday scores a pair of baskets and adds a free-throw in the opening minutes of the second half. As a result, the Ducks trail by 14 at the 14:52 mark.

*** It’s the Ross show down the stretch. He gets loose for two dunks. This one is essentially over, the Huskies have a comfortable lead, 67-51, with 44 ticks left on the clock.

*** Turns out, the glass slipper never truly fit Cinderella, which in this case was the Ducks. As the seventh seed, they made a good run. In the end, however, second-seeded Washington proved to be the better program, and accordingly, prevailed with the victory.

*** The finals are set, the Huskies will take on top-seeded Arizona on Saturday afternoon in the championsip game. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m., West Coast time.

Sean Ceglinsky is a contributor for SLAMonline.com. Follow him on Twitter.

Former National Championship winners Carlos Boozer (Duke in ’01) and Jason Terry (Arizona in ’97) have likely lottery pick talents at their respective schools and they’ve clearly been paying attention the talented youngsters attending their former teams. Boozer, who played with former Duke great Jay Williams, talked briefly about Kyrie Irving’s talent, whom he has been paying attention to from a distance.

“He’s a really good young fella. I’m sorry he got hurt–I know he’s gonna be out for a while–but he’s a very talented guy. It’s impressive the way he can shoot the ball and score the ball so easily. I haven’t seen a freshman be that good at Duke in a long time and I look forward to seeing what he can do when he’s back”

And in comparison to Jay Williams: “They’re different. Jay was a lot more explosive his sophomore and junior years and you know with Kyrie I heard he’s a great worker, and I look forward to seeing how he finishes up there.”

Jason Terry, who has publicly expressed his intention to become an assistant coach at his alma mater once he retires, has definitely kept his eye on sophomore sensation Derrick Williams.

“I think he’s a good player and he typifies what Arizona basketball players are all about. You like it, you stay four years, and put his legacy down as a Wildcat. He plays hard every possession at both ends of the floor.”

And after I commented about how Williams is just a sophomore and could potentially bolt to the League after this year, Terry had a different view of the situation: “Not necessarily. Like I said. I would like to see him stay all four years and build his legacy. The sky is the limit for him–he has great upside and could be a great NBA player–but still take your time to develop and take the Wildcats to a championship… I like his versatility because he can go inside-out. He’s gotta improve his three-point shot but other than that he’s physically strong enough, athletically gifted enough. Like I said, the only thing I can add is to work on his mid-range and long distance shots.”